


Pumpkin

by Arty11



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 20:09:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21258938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arty11/pseuds/Arty11
Summary: A little Halloween drabble





	Pumpkin

Halloween 2

‘What the actual fuckity fuck Granger? The war hero got detention too?’ A deep masculine voice with a hint of amusement broke Hermione’s concentration and she groaned inside, recognising the speaker immediately. Not only did she have to deal with the fact she, Hermione Granger, had detention but she now had to spend her entire precious Saturday in the company of the one and only Draco Malfoy. She’d managed to mostly ignore the enigma that was the dark Slytherin turned redeemed figure in the eight or so weeks since they’d both returned for seventh year. Without Harry and Ron to encourage her she didn’t have much of a problem with him really, even admitting to a slight crush as his body was beautiful if the mind within needed some Work. Despite the fact they shared many classes she’d barely see him around. . 

In contrast, he thought this detention had suddenly just got interesting. The previous seven Saturdays he’d been on his own; detention every week a punishment from the Ministry as a condition of his return to school. Far from being the restrictive inconvenience he imagined they thought they would be, being away from the rest of the school and under the protection of the teachers he’d so far found them preferential to remaining the pariah in his own house. Getting out the common room had been a blessing even if he was being reduced to menial tasks at the behest of the headmistress. The knowing look in McGonagall’s eyes and the easy tasks he’d so far been set and he knew she understood. He was only really here to get through the Wizengamot mandated year after all. 

He stood watching Hermione for a moment, a faint smirk at his unlikely companion and only just keeping down the uncharacteristic laughter that threatened to spill forth. He no longer had to keep the stoic mask insisted on by his father, and the Golden Girl in detention had to be the best thing that had happened to him. He had to admit she looked pretty hot these days, although the forbidden fruit had tempted him before the hell that was sixth year. Not that he’d have acted on it then but no Father and no expectation this year and he was much more a free man. Except for that pesky issue of having been on the wrong side of the war. Hermione scowled at him and it was all he needed for his control to slip, the walls broke and he doubled up with laughter. She looked surprised for a second before she switched to stern and then resignation before turning back and busying herself with her task. Draco eventually calmed down and looked around for Professor Sprout, figuring he ought to at least show his face. 

The previous night he’d been caught out of bed after curfew but Professor Sprout had miraculously managed to overlook the fact he was a touch drunk. As that would have landed him expelled and maybe in Azkaban he was exceedingly glad she did so although he was under no illusions. A stern word and a purposeful blind eye, and he’d turned up as directed the next morning in the pumpkin patch after he’d been delayed. 

Hermione scowled again. He wish she wouldn’t, it did so ruin the pretty face. ‘Shut it Malfoy’ she snapped through gritted teeth, rolling up her sleeves and digging in deeper to the giant pumpkin, her head almost disappearing inside as she leant in to scoop out the last flesh. She popped out again and wiped her hair out her face. ‘About bloody time you showed up anyway’ she muttered. 

He sighed in reply, staring blankly at her carelessly waving a note around. ‘Slughorn detained me. Where is Professor Sprout and what are you doing?’ He changed subject quickly as if only just noticing what she was doing and his stomach dropped as he took in the reality of the scene in front of him. 

She glared back. Great. She really wasn’t looking forward to having to be near him all day let alone the inevitable whinging about the task they’d been set. They’d got on a little better since the return to eigth year, well, better in if they didn’t acknowledge each other’s existence then they couldn’t be nasty to one another, but now she was either going to have to suffer in silence or have to talk to him. She didn’t know which she thought was worse. 

‘Exactly how many of these do we have to do?’ He asked, dropping his book bag down and settling in beside her, picking up the scoop and examining it with his usual sneer plastered across his face. Yes I 

‘Twelve’ Hermione puffed her reply, delving back in and pulling out another scoopful of goo. ‘And this is the first. No magic either. Get going would you’ 

‘I don’t see any teachers around. I’m just going to sit here for a bit. It’s too early for this shit’

He jumped up on one of the giant pumpkins Hagrid grew every year, and settled down to watch Hermione at work, but quickly jumped off again as his bum began to burn, turning and patting down the steam from his smouldering robes. Hermione allowed herself a giggle whilst he looked fuming. 

‘Knife, scoop, go’ she said, digging out another big scoopfull of goo and seeds. Delightful. She shook the goo from her hands into the bucket beside her that automatically vanished the contents, completely ignoring her unwelcome assistant. He glared at the scoop and turned it over in his hands. 

‘We could use magic you know’ he said slowly, looking around. 

‘Where’s the fun in that?’ Hermione intoned sarcastically. ‘Plus, Professors Sprout and Hagrid are watching. Just get on with it’. 

They worked in companiable silence for an hour, completing three pumpkins between them. It was deathly quiet and bitterly cold, but on they worked scooping out the innards ready for carving later. They’d be used to decorate the Great Hall that evening for the Halloween party. Eventually Malfoy broke the silence.

‘Granger. I can’t not ask. What did you do to get detention?’

He looked up at her and she sat back on her haunches for a minute, a slow smile spreading over her face, pride at the reason outweighing her dislike of talking to him. 

‘Well, I couldn’t spend my last year here and not have fun. Ginny and I expanded Fred and George’s swamp, but I added in a few additions’. She positively beamed. It had caused chaos for a few hours until Flitwick had worked out the counter charms and gotten it back under control. 

‘That was you?’ Malfoy let out a genuine laugh, it had been hilarious. It had suddenly risen from nowhere, covering Romilda Vane and her 6th year cronies in extremely pungent swamp water that had stuck to their clothes for 6 hours. He knew Hermione had been nowhere near it, having been in potions at the time with him so either must have timed it incredibly well or charmed it to recognise a particular person.

Hermione blushed and nodded, looking embarrassed but the sparkle didn’t leave her eyes. 

‘She’d annoyed us, bragging to the first years about being Harry’s girlfriend and the part she’d played in undermining the Carrows. Ginny said she did nothing, cowered in the room of requirement the entire year. Deserved it’. She suddenly sounded menacing and Draco understood. He was annoyed with the Slytherins carefully boasting about their various nefarious deeds of the year before. They shut up when he was around, or Theo, but it still annoyed him greatly. It wasn’t exactly something to be proud of or boast about. He was the one who lived with the crazed maniac under his roof. They wouldn’t be laughing so much if they’d seen muggles killed and devoured by a snake on their dining room table. 

‘You’re ruthless, but she bloody deserved it. She’s been spreading viscous rumours too, not that I mind being left alone much but I still don’t like the connotation. You know, the only person who seems to have risen above is you. I’m guessing you charmed it to recognise her? That was pretty impressive magic, Granger.’

She looked up shocked, the unfamiliar compliment sitting uneasy between them. 

‘I’ She started but he interrupted. 

‘I’m not doing that awkward, corny ‘hi I’m Draco’ cringeworthy handshake like we pretend we’ve never met each other. You’re an impressive witch Granger. That was never in doubt. My feelings towards that are what’s changed’. 

He was serious for a moment, carrying on his work and rolling up his sleeves unthinkingly. 

‘I never really understood the bull shit I was fed was just that, but I swallowed it anyway because it was all I ever knew’ he garbled, rushing his words as if he’d been waiting to talk for a while. ‘It was all I was ever told. It’s not an excuse, I was told it often enough that to start with I truly believed it. But then I came here and this mudblood’ here he paused, glancing at her in a panic and hoping she’d forgive the slip, before gulping and continuing when she didn’t react ‘who’d I’d been led to believe must have stolen her magic started beating me in every test. I started questioning, but was beaten for it so quickly stopped, at 12 I thought I must have been wrong and Father was right. After that I chose to ignore it, until it was too late. I was stuck, forced to account for my father’s failings. Told to kill Dumbledore or my mother would be killed. I was glad he lost. I, Granger I’m sorry’ 

He looked up from his mumbled apology to see tears in her eyes. 

‘I lost my parents. You lost your childhood. There was no winning or losing. I mean, I lived in a tent for nearly a year. I broke into Gringott’s and flew out on a dragon. I was tortured, forever branded too. Seems we all lost’ 

They were both silent for a moment, contemplating, before Hermione spoke again. 

‘I appreciate your apology though. Maybe, maybe we can move on?’ Her voice was tentative but he recognised an olive branch when he saw one. 

‘You actually broke into Gringotts?’ She smirked, not answering his question. ‘One day I’ll tell you the whole story’ she replied. Malfoy jumped on quickly ‘you’ll speak to me again after today? He asked with almost little boy hopefulness before he continued ‘Although, you might not want to. I intend to beat you this year, it’s my last chance’ he grinned, breaking the heavy atmosphere. 

Hermione looked up, surprised by his candour and figuring apologies go both ways. ‘I, we never thanked you. For not identifying us. If you ever doubted, that was when you proved you weren’t a coward. It would have been so easy to hand us over, restore your name but instead you tried in your own way to help us’. She glanced at him, a small smirk playing on her lips. 

‘Oh, and you’ll never beat me’. 

She grinned a beaming smile at him, laughing at his serious expression. She gave him a gentle shove on the shoulder. A jolt of electricity ran through her at the slight touch but it vanished as quick as it had appear edM  
. 

‘Come on. 9 more to go, and we have did enough melancholy last year. Know any jokes? I did hear one about a troll and a hag, wait, a hag and a kelpie, no, that’s not it’. She carried on muttering, a far away look in her face as she tried to remember the Punchline to the joke. 

‘Forget it Granger. I’m sure it was hilarious’. She missed him rolling his eyes as she stared ahead, trying to remember her joke. 

‘Tell me a muggle joke’. His voice was quiet and she almost misheard him. She cocked her head on one side and wrinkled her brow in thought. 

‘What’s the dumbest animal in the jungle?’ She said, not waiting for his reply before shrieking ‘a polar bear’. She creased up with laughter and rolled around the floor. 

‘That was terrible Granger’ he complained good naturedly, shaking his head. 

‘You do better then’ she retorted, turning back to her pumpkin. A slow smile spread up his face as he grabbed a handful of giant pumpkin seeds and goo and threw. It hit her, splat on the side of her face. He watched as it slowly dropped down the side of her face. She sat stock still, staring straight ahead and not moving. He held his breath, trying not to laugh but fearing her reaction. 

‘Herm-Granger, I’m sorry’ he stuttered, worrying that he’d gone too far but he’d suddenly felt free and lighthearted and it was as if an imp had taken over his arm and had seemed a good idea.

Hermione turned slowly, a menacing look on her face and he cowered back momentarily before deciding, well, in for a knut, in for a sickle and throwing the remainder of the pumpkin goo at an open mouthed Hermione. The look of shock on her face was priceless. He wished he had a camera, that’s was until she stepped into him and gave him a massive hug, covering him in goo in return. 

‘I can’t believe Filius, that you gave Miss Granger detention’ said McGonagall as they took a leisurely stroll down to the pumpkin patch to check in on her favourite student.l. 

‘Well Minerva, it was quite some magic so I did debate, but, can’t be seen giving the war hero preferential treatment after all. And, she came back for a normal school year. Normal school equals normal detentions don’t you think?’ He squeaked, running into her as she stopped abruptly in front of him on the narrow path. 

‘I somehow think nothing in that girl’s life will be normal’ McGonagall said softly, turning away from the two figures in the distance as they chased around the pumpkins before falling on each other. Even from this distance she could see the passion in their embrace.


End file.
